Bloggers Face-Off: Brian Clark vs. Chris Garrett

Welcome to the 10th edition of the Bloggers Face-Off. The feedback for this project was beyond my expectations, and the double interviews are becoming a corner-stone for Daily Blog Tips.

I am also very happy to bring two heavy-weights of the blogging scene this week. Brian Clark is the author of Copyblogger, an extremely popular blog with copywriting and online marketing tips (he needs no presentations, I know…).

Chris Garrett is a veteran on the web. He has been developing websites and online ventures since 1994. Recently he launched Chrisg.com, a blog about new media and blogging. Despite being 3 months old the blog already counts more than 2000 RSS subscribers. Let the battle begin!

Brian Clark

Chris Garrett

1. How long have you been blogging?

Using blog software for marketing purposes since 2003, blogging “proper”
since late 2005

9 years (Feb 1998 according to archive.org)

2. How many hours do you dedicate to your blog daily?

1-3

At least 4

3. How many page views the blog generates daily?

400-500K a month

Too few

4. What is the best marketing technique you have used?

Copywriting

Word of mouth

5. Do you make money with the blog?

Just starting to get into sponsorships. Copyblogger was not originally
designed to make money

Indirectly

6. What is the biggest mistake you did on your blog?

Letting Chris Garrett guest post. (Kidding!)

Going away on vacation without ensuring internet access

7. How many RSS feeds do you track daily?

100

It varies as I binge and cull, it has been over 1000 but probably around
400 now

8. If you could give an advice for a novice blogger, what would it be?

Focus insanely on your target reader

Your readers are human beings with real feelings, interests and needs,
treat them as such

9. Digg, Stumble Upon or Delicious?

Yes, thank you

Stumbleupon but Del.icio.us will always have a special place in my heart

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26 Responses to “Bloggers Face-Off: Brian Clark vs. Chris Garrett”

Eek! They are both so generous with their content, and equally cute of course:)

I voted for Chris because he was getting trounced, and I always root for the underdog. Lame. I know.

Bang Kritikuson January 30, 2009 12:44 am

To be copywriter must have high ability in promotion language

Barry Morrison May 08, 2007 2:16 pm

Chris gets my vote.

A.M.Sallon May 04, 2007 6:14 pm

I’m in a terrible quandary. This is real torture! I honestly don’t know which one to vote for! They are both colossal! Can I vote for BOTH!?

Art of Speakingon May 03, 2007 1:50 pm

Voted for Chris especially because of questions 6, 9 and 10

Cristion May 02, 2007 8:54 pm

He has (as you say in sports) “the touch”

Danielon May 02, 2007 12:26 pm

Yeah you got to love Dilbert’s blog!

Actually I am not such a fun of Dilbert itself, but Scott Adams do share some interesting stuff on his blog.

Chris Bon May 02, 2007 3:24 am

My vote for Chris because of the Dilbert answer 😛

Chris Garretton May 02, 2007 2:30 am

What can I say, I read copyblogger myself and I knew going into it I would get soundly thrashed. Fun though 🙂

Daniel, the “other” Chris Garrett is in fact a blogger also but younger and better looking 😉

Danielon May 01, 2007 11:59 pm

Another Chris Garrett? And you are also an online publisher? 🙂

Jackon May 02, 2007 12:16 am

Voted for you Chris, though I do like copyblogger too…I do read chrisg.com first.

Chris Garretton May 01, 2007 11:58 pm

Gotta be the man CG… and not just ‘cos he has the same name as me…

Mikeon May 01, 2007 4:20 pm

Brian wins on the basis of the fact that I’ve starred more of his items in Google Reader than Chris…but only just!

Damn them and their infinitely readable content…

Danielon May 01, 2007 2:20 pm

Adam, yeah that is a point. It is like Jeremy Schoemaker, if I am not wrong he said he blogs for 1 hour daily on his face-off, yet he makes $10,000 monthly from the blog.

Adam Kayce : Monk At Workon May 01, 2007 1:40 pm

I dig ’em both. Both are in my Reader.

I’m not saying who I voted for, because who cares? I’m commenting because of Michael’s “analytical” comment…

“#2: Dedicates more time” ? I’d award that one to Brian, then. (I wouldn’t want to spend all day blogging, personally… not if I could get the job done in less time…) Just my $.02.

Davidon May 01, 2007 1:29 pm

I came across Copyblogger through Chris via Sean D’Souza of 5000bc. So Chris gets points for that. But being a writer who’s learning copywriting, I just have to vote for Brian Clark because of the powerfully simple way he teaches copywriting. It’s been a really blessing to me, and his blog has a firm place in Google Reader.

Danielon May 01, 2007 12:05 pm

Roberto, yeah I discovered Brian’s blog about 1 year ago and it is one of the feeds I would not remove from my reader.

Then again I also read Chris’ stuff daily hehe.

Danielon May 01, 2007 11:53 am

Michael, that is a very analytical interpretation :)!

Roberto Alamoson May 01, 2007 11:53 am

Brian Clark is one of the best bloggers out there, and copyblogger.com is a gold mine full of compelling advice on how to be a better blogger.

I remember discovering copyblogger when it was very young, just 2 or 3 days old, and even back then it was clear that it was a grrreat blog. Now it’s a so damn good blog that you will make you a favor by stop doing anything you are doing right now and typing http://www.copyblogger.com in your browser. It will definitely improve your practice of blogging.